Garbage Disposal Repair & Replacement in St. George, UT

Quick checks before you call

• Hums but will not spin: it is jammed. With the power off at the switch (and ideally the breaker), use the hex key that came with it in the socket on the bottom center to work the plates back and forth. Remove the obstruction with tongs, never your hand. Then press the reset button.
• Completely dead: press the red reset button on the bottom. Check the breaker and, if it plugs in under the sink, the outlet and any switch-controlled outlet.
• Drains slowly: the clog may be in the trap or the line past the disposal, not the disposal itself.

Leaks

• From the top (sink flange): the plumber's putty or gasket has failed and needs resealing.
• From the side (dishwasher or drain connection): a loose clamp or worn gasket.
• From the bottom or body: internal seals have failed and the unit needs replacing.

Repair or replace?

Jams, reset trips and loose connections are repairs. A unit that leaks from the body, has a burned-out motor, or grinds poorly after years of use is a replacement. Hard water does not do disposals any favors either: scale and mineral buildup can stiffen seals and corrode parts.

Choosing a new disposal

• Horsepower: 1/3 to 1/2 hp for light use; 3/4 to 1 hp for heavy cooking or large families.
• Continuous feed or batch feed: batch-feed units only run with the stopper in place.
• Noise: better insulation makes a big difference in open kitchens.
• Septic: homes on septic, such as some in Leeds and rural parts of the county, should ask whether a disposal suits the system.

What not to put down a disposal

• Grease, oil and fat. They solidify further down the line.
• Fibrous foods: celery, corn husks, artichokes, onion skins.
• Expanding foods: rice, pasta, bread.
• Coffee grounds and eggshells in quantity; they settle like sand.
• Bones, fruit pits and anything that is not food.

Run cold water during and after use. Everything you grind still travels to the treatment plant; in St. George, Ivins, Santa Clara and Washington, that is the city's regional facility (City of St. George, Wastewater Treatment).

Sources: City of St. George, Wastewater Treatment; EPA WaterSense, Statistics and Facts.